As humongous autumn flowers floated overhead in the Anatole’s Chantilly Ballroom on Monday, October 30, Baylor Scott and White Dallas Foundation‘s 2023 Celebrating Women Luncheon veteran guests realized that the past years of butterflies had been replaced by the blooming of the years of fundraising for Baylor Scott and White Health’s battle against breast cancer disease.
Interspersed with the autumn scenes on the ballroom’s mammoth screens were scenes of women undergoing breast cancer treatments and ringing bells to celebrate the completion of their chemo treatments.







Before the program began, moderator Rene Syler and the keynoter LeAnn Rimes did mic checks and reviewed the day’s plan in the ballroom as early arrivals like Baylor Scott and White Dallas Foundation Board Chair Norm Bagwell and his wife Robin Bagwell, Gail Davis, Chris Walter, Connie O’Neill, Heather Furniss, Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt, Susan Glassmoyer, Sarah Jo Hardin, Venise Stuart, Jill Goldberg, Charlie Shufeldt, Michael Powell, Ann Dyer and Foundation staffers Kristi Hoyl, Christina Goodman, Jennifer Huntsberry and Tim Moore proceeded to a nearby VIP reception.
Right on cue. 2023 Celebration Women Luncheon Chair Ola Fojtasek and Underwriting Chair Amanda Shufeldt appeared onstage announcing that more than $2M had already been raised thanks to Tom Thumb and Albertsons as the presenting sponsor and Honorary Co-Chairs Carmen and Jeff York.

This reveal meant that over the past 24 years, the Baylor Scott and White Dallas Foundation fundraiser had not only provided more than $40M “to advance the fight against breast cancer,” it had created greater awareness for women and women about how to detect and seek treatment.

Just before noon a video told how Deborah Michnick had found a lump in her breast in February 2022. It proved to be a triple negative in stage 4. Adding to her physical and emotional challenge was the fact that her husband Rob Michnick was diagnosed with two types of cancer — prostate and kidney.
Thanks to Dr. Joyce O’Shaughnessy putting Deborah on a trial treatment, Deborah’s tumor was gone and as the video ended Deborah arrived onstage to a standing ovation.
Just past noon as guests lunched, a team of men raised a piano from the floor to the stage. It would be put to good use soon.

At 12:30 Foundation President Ben Renberg greeted the guests and recognized the Yorks, adding that Jeff had also served as a Baylor volunteer in addition to receiving weekly infusions due to his own battle with cancer.
While noting his fight against cancer, Jeff said that Research Infusion Registered Nurse Loretta Mergerson should be recognized.
It was now time for the program featuring LeAnn Rimes talking with Rene Syler to get underway.
But before taking her seat with Rene, the blonde multi-award-winning blonde singer/musician, who had gotten her start in North Texas singing “Blue,” started off at the piano both playing and singing “Remnants” as cellphones throughout the room rose to record.
According to a BSW Dallas Foundation staffer, “It’s the first time that a Celebrating Women speaker has performed.”

Following the performance, LeAnn and Rene settled down for a chat with the following highlights:
- While LeAnn has not had breast cancer, her brother-in-law had, adding, “As a 40-year-old woman I am more aware of my health.”
- LeAnn discovered that being open about such issues as her battle with psoriasis was like “giving a little girl a voice.”
- How music has a healing effect — “Music for me is therapeutic. You know, I feel like music touches upon the places inside of us that don’t yet have a voice. The voice is itself for healing. This is so powerful, like whether or not we think we sound good. You know, humming will stimulate the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system. So when we’re stressed out, humming is one of the best things we can do to calm our nervous system. We don’t realize we’re actually a vessel of healing. “
- Her favorite song — “It changes with my mood.”
- The entertainment industry and women — “I don’t even consider myself a part of the business anymore. Like I stepped out of it and do my own thing. I make music that I want to make. It’s not a fun business to be in. And it can be really traumatizing for women, for any business. Women have had to fight in order to have their voices heard. And the music industry, especially the country music industry, it’s not yet changed. I think we see like one step forward two steps back kind of thing. But I’m hoping that changes, eventually.”
- How her life has changed from her childhood success — “My life, very early on was dictated by numbers and popularity, and charts. As soon as I stepped away from that, and started living my life from the inside out, instead of the outside in and worrying about what other people think, my life and status was ‘How does it make me feel? What do I want to say? What do I enjoy doing?’ and invite people into that space, instead of, ‘What do you want from me?’ It comes with age and wisdom and mental health struggles.”
- Being a stepmon — “It takes a lot of patience for a blended family to work. But it’s gratifying.”
- Family — “It’s about who loves you in your darkest moments.”
- Lightning round:
- One of the things she has to do when she’s back in Texas — “Probably go see my mother.”
- Who’s next to collaborate with? —”I don’t know. I’ve been blessed to work with the cream of the crop.
- Who’s at the top of your Spotify List — “Probably David Gregg.”
- Whose closet do you want to raid? — “I’m a sweats girl. The fact that I’m in anything but sweats today is really a big deal. So, anybody who has good sweats, I’m there.”
- Cowboy hat or boots — “This is hard. I’ll go with boots.”
- On her nightstand — “I’ve read it a couple of times… ‘Falling Upward’ by Richard Rohr.”
- Binge watching — “The Morning Show.”
- Plans for Halloween — “Sweats. Usually my husband and I have like a whole elaborate get up. Every year. We’ve done like Sandy and Danny. We’ve done like Lucy, Ricky and this year we’ll go onesies and pumpkins.”
To close the program, Leann returned to the piano to sing “There Will Be A Better Day” with tears in her eyes.
Evidently LeAnn’s talk hit home, because as the crowdsof guests headed to the valet line, one gal was heard to say, “I’m going home to put on my sweats and schedule my mammogram.”